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"The Crooked Quill": The Amazing Story of How We Got The King James Bible -And All That Came With It!
Aside from the rapid growth of the Christian church itself, it may just be the most amazing story in the Christian Era-I am talking about "The Amazing Story of How We Got the King James Bible and All That Came With It." But, the translation and publication of a version of "the Bible"? Really? Consider the following: for a millennium the church had been effectively deprived of its most important material resource, that is, the word of God in a language the common people could understand. Once more, this was done under the auspices of the official-institutional church! But then there were a few who dared to translate the Bible into the English vernacular. Of course, the political and ecclesiastical authorities were not exactly keen on the idea of people having access to a Book coming from the Highest Authority, not when it contained ideas which might enable the people to think for themselves, and perhaps to think differently about those lower authorities. Needless to say, it remained difficult for the average Englander to obtain a personal copy of the Scriptures. Then along came King James, one of the most complex and problematic regents England had ever seen. SPOILER ALERT! As it turned out, it was James' perceived nemeses, the Puritans, who goaded the King into becoming the official sponsor of a new translation-written expressly with the purpose that it should be read by all the people! And it would be that same Bible which would not only become facilitative in unseating the Stuart dynasty, it would go on to change the world!
910 pages, Paperback
Published June 19, 2020
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June 14, 2026
Five stars for all the research that went into this. A full five stars for the book itself until about page 700. Then the author seems to get bogged down with details.
The majority of the book is fantastic snd fascinating. Why did king James, an immoral man with no interest whatsoever in religion, decide to have a new version of the Bible printed in the first place? The way the Bible worked in peoples lives up until people who wanted to follow the Bible’s teachings began to be persecuted and chose to flee England. The various religious groups was also interesting as I confess I never knew there was a difference between Quakers, Puritans and Pilgrims.
It was also interesting to learn how the various groups ran their towns. Most of us know how Salem Massachusetts turned out but there were other towns even scarier. Towns run according to the teachings of the Old Testament. Instead of atoning you though, they would hang you.
The KJV Bible went on to inspire the various founders of America. Throughout the story of the KJV, the author was about to stay on his theme and not get side tracked. Not until the very end of his tale does he start wandering off. He delves into how the KJV influenced various writers of classic literature, which is fine but the amount of detail he went into was over the top. The chapter after that was all about common sayings people use in day to day life that originally come from the Bible. Some people might find that interesting, but there were so many with long explanations.
I admit I only skimmed the last two chapters and did not bother to read his Afterward included at the end of the book.
Five star book except for the last couple chapters that could have been lists.
The majority of the book is fantastic snd fascinating. Why did king James, an immoral man with no interest whatsoever in religion, decide to have a new version of the Bible printed in the first place? The way the Bible worked in peoples lives up until people who wanted to follow the Bible’s teachings began to be persecuted and chose to flee England. The various religious groups was also interesting as I confess I never knew there was a difference between Quakers, Puritans and Pilgrims.
It was also interesting to learn how the various groups ran their towns. Most of us know how Salem Massachusetts turned out but there were other towns even scarier. Towns run according to the teachings of the Old Testament. Instead of atoning you though, they would hang you.
The KJV Bible went on to inspire the various founders of America. Throughout the story of the KJV, the author was about to stay on his theme and not get side tracked. Not until the very end of his tale does he start wandering off. He delves into how the KJV influenced various writers of classic literature, which is fine but the amount of detail he went into was over the top. The chapter after that was all about common sayings people use in day to day life that originally come from the Bible. Some people might find that interesting, but there were so many with long explanations.
I admit I only skimmed the last two chapters and did not bother to read his Afterward included at the end of the book.
Five star book except for the last couple chapters that could have been lists.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review